Special macaroni cheese

Special macaroni cheese

MiNDFOOD brings you a new special way to make an old favourite, macaroni cheese, by food editor Dixie Elliot.

Special macaroni cheese

Full of flavour, this baked macaroni and cheese dish is made using gruyere and parmesan cheese, mild pancetta and sourdough breadcrumbs.

Serves 4-6

500g dried macaroni

8 slices mild pancetta

60g butter

1/4 cup plain flour

3 cups milk

100g grated Gruyere cheese

15g finely grated parmesan cheese

1 cup sourdough breadcrumbs

5g finely grated parmesan cheese (extra)

1 tsp olive oil

green salad, to serve

1 Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain and return to pan.

2 Put pancetta in a single layer on a large baking tray. Cook for 5 minutes under a hot grill or until golden and crisp. Roughly chop.

3 Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and add flour, stirring until well combined. Return to heat and cook for 1 minute or until bubbling. Remove from heat and slowly add milk, whisking constantly, until well combined. Return to heat and bring to the boil, whisking constantly. Add Gruyere and parmesan. Stir through pasta. Transfer to a large 9-cup-capacity ovenproof dish.

4 Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan (extra) and oil. Sprinkle over macaroni. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Serve with a green salad.

Note: If you’re fortunate enough to have leftovers, spoon into small airtight containers for tomorrow’s lunch or freeze for up to 6 weeks.